About

The trailer for The Chimaera Regiment. Original music composed by Art Turner.

FAQ

The front cover of the book.

1. What Is The Chimaera Regiment?

The Chimaera Regiment is the first novel of author Nathaniel Turner. It is in a high fantasy setting with a deep background, not yet fully explored in the story. It is also the first book of a trilogy.

The back-cover blurb follows:

It is late autumn in the 2040th year of the Sixth Era. For centuries, peace has reigned among the tribes of men, but as an early chill descends on the land, a new war looms from the south. Lord Derek, ruler of the Chimaera Regiment, seeks to reestablish the ancient Fylscem Empire under his banner, and he will stop at nothing to restore the dominion of his bloodline.

Before him lies the idyllic Valley of Kyros, home of the Alkimites, where the last direct heir of the old empire lives in ignorance. Guided by the ancient Guardian Lord Aneirin, Hector son of Abram must travel to the primeval capital of his heritage. There, in the Library of the Ancients, he must retrieve the three Blessed Blades of the Emperor, symbols of his authority. Agents of the Chimaera Regiment pursue him, and barbaric tribes stand in his way, but his path may unlock the secrets of the past, and it could bring light—or darkness—to the future.

2. Who is Nathaniel Turner?

Nathaniel Turner is a classicist, theologian, writer, philosopher, and astrophysicist, in descending order of legitimate qualifications. A brief biography can be found to the left of this page.

3. Why does a single book need a website?

More than likely, this website will also be used for the entire trilogy, but I digress. The point of this particular website is to host information specific to The Chimaera Regiment and its trilogy, and – more importantly – to host the podcast release of the audiobook, recorded by the author and scored by skilled pianist Art Turner.

Until the release of the audiobook, this website will host relevant information on the book, its print release, and its inevitable audiobook release.

4. Why “Chimaera”? Why not “Chimera”? It’s easier to spell.

While “Chimera” is a more common modern spelling of the word, the technically correct Latin-based transliteration of the original Greek word is “Chimaera.” I’m a stickler for that kind of frivolous accuracy.

5. Okay, but what is a chimera–uh, chimaera?

The chimaera is a creature from Greek mythology composed of three distinct animals; each section also had the head of each animal, so it was also a creature with three heads. The front of the beast was that of a lion; the middle, a goat; the tail, a serpent.

6. What’s the relevance of the “regiment”? Is it an army of chimaeras attacking somebody? That would be pretty cool.

Unfortunately, no. The influence of the chimaera is subtle. Symbolism from and references to Greco-Roman mythology are interspersed in the text, not only relevant to the myth of Bellerophon and the Chimaera, but also the writings of Homer, Vergil, Ovid, Hesiod, Pindar, and others. It’s important to remember, of course, that you don’t have to know anything about these myths to enjoy The Chimaera Regiment; rather, my intention was to include these references and symbolism as an homage to some of my inspiration, and finding them is more like hunting for “Easter eggs” in your favorite video game or film.

7. But you have to admit, an army of chimaeras attacking some guy would be pretty cool.

The Latinized plural of “chimaera” is “chimaerae”… but yes, that would be pretty cool.

8. I guess I’ll have to settle for some “Chimaera Regiment” that sounds pretty cool.

When did these FAQ stop being questions? I think we’re done here. If you want any more information about the book, its symbolism, or anything else even tangentially related, please contact me.

Nathaniel Turner

Nathaniel Turner spent his youth on the mission field with his parents, residing in Cyprus, Russia, India, and Singapore. He received a bachelor's degree from Baylor University in Classical Philology and Religious Studies. He currently lives in Wisconsin with his wife and two sons.

His current projects, besides "The Chimaera Regiment," include plans for several other novels, including a space opera. He is also the author of the 31 Prayers series of prayer-books.